The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-12
MATTHIAS SPLLTLOG
How Full-Blooded Indian Became a
Millionaire.

zion OF a law suit, the construction of a rail
road or the transfer of real estate BRINGS he
lore the public men whose history would
form an interesting romance; but few of
this class have had more varied and pecu
ilar experience than that of Matthias Split
ioS, the millionaire Indian" whose recent
sale OF seventy acres of land for S56, 900 in
Kansas, near Kansas City, caused so much
comment III the local papers. Mr.. Splitlog
Is a tull-blooded Wyandotte Indian. and was
born IN an Indian village in Canada, and
shortly afterward moved to Ohio. While a
boy he was apprenticted to carpenter and
mlllwright, and, although his wages were
only 81 per month, young Splitlog thought
he was getting rich. He imbibed a love for
machinery and Inventions which has caused
nm to lend a helping hand to many poor
Fellow who had a useful invention which
only needed money to develop it and make
1t pay
Splitlog's first venture was to build a
steamboat, which he did in company with
his brother. They launched the boat upon
tne st. Clair river and started in the fishing
trade. Uncle Sam soon became Jealous of
the boys, and confiscated the boat on a
charge OF smuggling.
MOVED WEST.
In 1912, the Wyandottes, who were the
last of the Indian tribes then in Ohio. by
the treaty of the Upper Sandusky, coded to
the United States their lands in that State,
and received in exchange land in what is
now Wyandotte county, Kan. In 1S43
Splitlog came West with some of his tribe,
and found, after his arrival at West Port
Landing, now Kansas City, that he only
had SOC. in his pocket He induced an old
Indian to go his security for the price of an
axe With this ak he cut cordwood
for the steamboats, at the rate
OF 25c. per cord. and after pay
ing for the ak, which then cost So,
he soon saved enough to buy pony, and
shortly afterward we find him with herd
of horses. About 1850 Splitlog was mar
ried to the granddaughter of the old man
who went his security for the price of the
ak, and shortly afterward ne began to build
mill AT this time he had no money to
pay for labor, so that he did the work him
self. He selected the timber, cut and hauled
the logs, and then he had ''raising;n that
Is, had his neighborS come and help him
raise the building He
FINISHED THE MILL HIMSELF,
with everything but the burrs. These
would cost at that time $50 and Splitlog
had no money; still he was determined not
ito give up the idea of running a mill"
When in this dilemma steamboat, which
was unloading pair of burrs at the Gland
ing" accidentally let them fall overheard
and they sank to the bottom of the Missouri
river. Splitlog, learning of this, contracted
with the owner to pay him $25 for the
burrs and take them up himself, which
he eventually did after much trouble
and hard work. and having got the
burrs out OF the river it took but a short
time to get ready to start the mill. The ma
chinery was rugged for horse power and the
day that Splitlog started he hitched in eight
unbroken horses from his herd and earned
Soc. in cash, and in the evening he gave
this money to his wife and told her to go to
Northrup's (Splitlogs present bankers in
Kansas City store and buy them something
good to eat, as he now had that much money
that he did not need.
Splitlog's mill was a success, and in 1855
we find him one of the leading men of his
tribe. By the treaty of the Upper San
dusky the Wyandottes were not allowed to
ALLEVIATE their lands, but in the year 1855 a
new treaty was made between the Wyan-
dottes and the United States which severed
the tribal relations of the Wyandottes and
fixed their status as citizens of the United
States. The first section of this treaty
reads as follows:
1.-THE Wyandotte Indians, having become
sufficiently advanced in civilization, and de-
SlTOuS VI CIUlLCllo, ~ Guy
agreed and stipulated that their organiza-
ton and their relations with the United
States as an Indian tribe shall be dissolved
and terminated ON the ratification of this
agreement, except in so far as the further
continuance of the same may be necessary
to the execution of the stipulations herein
and from and after date of such ratification
the said Wyandotte Indians and each and
every one of them, except as hereinafter
provided. shall be deemed and are hereby
declared to be citizens of the United States
for all ,intentS and purposes, and shall be en-
titled to all the privileges and inmunities of
such citizens and shall in all respects be sub
ject to the laws of the United States and
the territory of Kansas in the same manner
as other citizens of said territory"
A SPECULATION.
After the adoption of this treaty Splitlog
began to speculate in real estate, and, al
though he can neither read nor write, he
has been one of the most successful specu-
lators in the neighborhood of Kansas City,
and is to-day worth over 81 200, 600. About
fourteen years ago Splitlog moved to the
Indian Territory and located on Elk river,
near the Missouri line and about four miles
from Tiff City, and recently he became in
terested in silver NINE IN NC
donald county, Mo. With his char
acteristic energy he began operations
at once. He hired a mining expert
named b. F. Requa from Chicago to super
tend the operations at the mines, and, be-
coming convinced that to develop the mines
and build up the town of Splitlog railroad
was necessary, he, together with his partner
in the mines, Moses w. Clay, commenced
negotiating with the projectors of the New
Orleans, Natchez and Fort Scott Railroad
Company. and soon that company was
formed for the purpose of building rail
road between the terminal points named in
their title and running by way of Neosho
and Splitlog City. This company being
TOO slow to meet the vigorous ideas of Split
log and Clay, they severed their connections
With the same, and Matthias Splitlog,
Moses w. Clay, George Hub
bert and others organized the
Kansas City, Fort Smith and Southern
Railroad Company, with capital OF 50,
100000, for the purpose of building rail
road from Kansas City to Fort Smith, pass
ing through Splitlog City and Neosho. This
road is now graded for about thirty miles
between Splitlog City and Joplin, and 1t is
only a question of few months when the
cars will run southwark from Joplin to Fort
smith. and Matthias Splitlog, the millionaire
Indian. who is probably the richest man OF
his race. will be known all over the country
as the only Indian railroad man in the
United States.
PERSONAL.
Mr.. Splitlog has five children-four boys
and one girl--and now lives at Spntlog City,
Mcdonald county, Mo. he is Ike most
men of his race, very taclturn IN his HABITS,
seldom speaking in more than monosyllables,
bain Al fc0n